Chicago agencies release new Ventra mobile payment app
The app is the first of its kind to allow customers to pay for rides on all three transit systems — CTA, Metra and Pace — from their mobile devices, transforming the way people across Chicago take transit each day.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace launched the new Ventra App, making the free app now available for download and use on Apple and Android smartphone and tablet devices via www.ventrachicago.com, the App Store and Google Play.
The Ventra App is the first of its kind to allow customers to pay for rides on all three transit systems — CTA, Metra and Pace — from their mobile devices, transforming the way people across Chicago take transit each day. Developed jointly by CTA, Metra and Pace, and funded by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)’s “Innovation, Coordination and Enhancement” (ICE) program, the app provides riders with a “one-stop shopping” experience that essentially puts both a Ventra vending machine and a Metra ticket vending machine in customers’ pockets.
The app offers customers a wide range of functionality — including some never before available on phones — including account management, loading of transit value/passes, account notifications and integrated mobile ticketing on Metra. It also provides access to real-time transit tracker information for CTA, Metra and Pace all in one place. Future phases will offer additional services and conveniences.
“CTA, Metra and Pace have worked together closely to bring this app to life and we’re very pleased with the result,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. “With this new app, customers for the first time ever have access to a one-stop shopping experience for transportation across the Chicago area through their mobile devices. As customers use the app, we look forward to hearing about their experiences, which will shape updates to the app going forward.”
The Ventra App allows Metra customers who use a smartphone to buy any type of Metra ticket with a credit or debit card or a Ventra account. The Metra mobile ticket is stored on the smartphone and customers can activate it when boarding the train and display it on the phone’s screen when the train conductor checks for tickets. If a Metra customer wishes to create a Ventra account in the app, they can buy Metra mobile tickets more quickly and recover them if the phone is lost, stolen, damaged or replaced.
Later phases planned for 2016 will provide additional account management features (e.g. card ordering, replacing a lost/stolen card) and a door-to-door trip planner with service information for CTA, Metra and Pace that allows customers to navigate the region from door to door using all three transit systems.
Also in a later phase, the app will allow customers to download a virtual Ventra card onto their Near Field Communication-compatible mobile devices, which will allow them to access their Ventra transit accounts to pay for rides on CTA trains and CTA and Pace buses directly from the Ventra App by touching the phone or device to a Ventra reader.
Ad Loading...
In the future, the CTA, Metra and Pace also intend to explore offering advertising on the app, which could include customized promotional content that customers would voluntarily select to receive – similar to other apps. Any in-app advertising or promotional functionality would only be launched with the approval of CTA, Metra and Pace consistent with agency policies including advertising guidelines.
The Pilot Program for TOD Planning helps support FTA’s mission of improving America’s communities through public transportation by providing funding to local communities to integrate land use and transportation planning with a new fixed-guideway or core-capacity transit capital investment.
Transit agencies have moved past pilot projects, but scaling electrification is exposing a harder truth: the real challenge isn’t vehicles, it’s everything around them.
The only new subway opening in the US this year, the D Line Extension represents one of Metro’s top transit priorities and a historic milestone for Los Angeles, with Sections 2 and 3 set to open in 2027.
In Part 2 of a two-part conversation, AC Transit’s director of maintenance joins co-hosts Alex Roman and Mark Hollenbeck to discuss his maintenance team’s work with various types of vehicle, training, augmented reality, and more.
The transit agency cites labor disruptions, demographic shifts, and evolving rider needs as it advances safety initiatives, paratransit changes, and major infrastructure projects across its network.
John Hatman, COO of Master’s Transportation, breaks down the priorities, warning signs and common mistakes fleet managers should address now to stay ahead of summer demand.
See how the TTC is testing a new wayfinding system at major subway stations while planning to introduce fare capping to make transit easier to navigate and more affordable for riders.
The new center serves as the central hub for monitoring and managing PATCO train operations, communications, customer service coordination, incident response, and overall operational oversight across the transit system.
Despite these pressures, VIA Rail is reporting that total revenues increased to $514.8 million as more travelers took advantage of the wide range of options available through the corporation’s new reservation system.
